301 Area Code (Maryland) Toll Free? Scam? Who's Calling?

utility company scam... wanted the business owners name.

However they had last 4 of my ssn and birthdate.

received a call on my mobile (b)(6) from 888-382-1222 on 10/17/2013 at 6:54am PDT please take appropriate action.

HUNG UP AFTER I ANSWERED THE PHONE

Not sure who this person/company is or what they want.

All these numbers 1 301 253 6547 , 1 607 529 9985 , 1 123 652 6522 , 1 505 908 9506 , 1 979 230 9479 , 1 213 337 0014 , 1 648 369 4085 , 1 310 555 0119 , 1 516 206 6815 , 1 800 570 4629 , 1 999 910 0238 , 1 864 540 0400 . All of the numbers above are cold calls numbers used by the Microsoft support scams are from India and other countries over seas . http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/sep/22/microsoft-drops-partner-accused-scam Microsoft drops partner accused of cold-call scam India-based Comantra, alleged to be involved in telephone support scam, ejected from Microsoft's Gold Partner membership scheme Charles Arthur theguardian.com, Thursday 22 September 2011 14.48 BST Man at computer The centres call people claiming that they are acting for Microsoft and that they have been �alerted� to problems with the user�s computer. Photograph: Alamy Microsoft has finally ejected an Indian company which was one of its "Gold" partners from the scheme after deciding it was taking part in a "fake virus" telephone support scam. But Microsoft has been criticised for slow action, after one IT consultant said he had been trying to bring the activities of Comantra, based in Kolkata, to its attention for more than six months, and says that the US software giant has been warned about similar companies' actions for at least 18 months. The Guardian detailed last year how call centres in India are used to call people in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, US and Canada by people claiming that they are acting for "Microsoft" or "Windows", and that they have been "alerted" to problems with the user's computer. They then direct them to Event Viewer, a console program on the Windows operating system, which shows messages that to the average user look alarming � but are in fact harmless internal messages used by the system. The callers then use remote login software to gain access to the user's computer, and "fix" the problems; in some cases they also install programs including antivirus and even entire operating system upgrades. They then demand a fee. The UK police have determined that the actions constitute fraud because there is nothing wrong with the users' machines, and that the money is extracted under false pretences. Scores of people who have contacted the Guardian after being scammed have demanded, and usually received, repayments from banks and credit card providers. Information passed to the Guardian by sources familiar with the volume of transactions made by the fake support call companies suggest the scam is worth roughly �2m per year. It has grown in size over the past two years, and is believed to be masterminded by one man based in the city of Kota in Rajasthan. Now Microsoft has thrown Comantra, a website registered to an address in Kolkata, India, out of its "Gold Partner" membership scheme. "Gold Partners" are the top level of Microsoft's "solution partners" and get priority listing in Microsoft's online directory of companies to work with: to achieve the status they have to demonstrate particular levels of technical expertise to Microsoft, plus "the proven ability to deliver solutions featuring Microsoft products", the company says. There is also an annual fee of about �2,900. However, Microsoft does not audit the business practices of companies that gain its accreditation. Comantra had not replied to a request for a response by the time of publication. The Guardian has been contacting Microsoft since June 2010 pointing out India-based companies which claim to have Microsoft Partner and Gold Partner status which take part in the "cold call virus scam", and received repeated statements saying that it does not approve of them. The UK police have in the past taken action to shut down sites used to make people think that the "support calls" come from valid organisations. But the Guardian's investigations have found that they are built using a template and that as quickly as one is closed, another one or two are opened. Staff are thought to work off scripts from a small number of call centres from which they can claim to be working for a large number of such sites. A British IT consultant who complained to Microsoft after being contacted repeatedly by Comantra says the US company has been too slow to act. "I don't think Microsoft has taken this at all serious. It knew about the problem for at least 18 months, through posts on its own internet forums. I reported the issue in March 2011 to their security guru Monika Josi, and I think she has done nothing about it." He declined to give his name, because, he said: "These scammers don't have any scruples. I don't want to have to worry about whether they would track me down. But they target vulnerable people by calling during the day, when you'll get retired people or carers who won't know what this is about, and who will be taken in if they're told the call is from 'Microsoft' or 'Windows'." Comantra's site had removed any mention of its former Gold Partner status by Thursday morning. But it was still showing logos for the antivirus services McAfee and Norton. In a statement, Microsoft said: "We were made aware of a matter involving one of the members of the Microsoft Partner Network acting in a manner that caused us to raise concerns about this member's business practices. Following an investigation, the allegations were confirmed and we took action to terminate our relationship with the partner in question and revoke their Gold status. "There are no circumstances under which we would ever allow partners or any other organisations to pose as Microsoft. We view matters such as these extremely seriously and take immediate action if such behaviour is brought to our attention and found to be the case. We continue to encourage customers to exercise caution from scams and follow the guidance found at microsoft.com/security." http://www.theguardian.com/technology/blog/2011/mar/01/microsoft-virus-scam-continues 'Microsoft support centre' scam continues, and takes turn for worse The scammers behind this scheme have now begun installing software that they buy with the victim's credit card - which might mean that police can now take action The scam whereby people in Indian call centres ring up and insist that they are calling from "Microsoft Windows Support" and that they have been alerted - by Microsoft, or your ISP - that "your computer is running slowly because of viruses" - is still going on. And they're still charging people for their fake "help", and people are still falling for it: I get a few emails a week confirming it (and that of course is only the people who realise they've been had). If you need confirmation, Microsoft's Answers system is stuffed with people asking about it Until now, it has been a relatively harmless process: the call centre workers didn't leave anything (such as malware) on your computer, because that could involve the police internationally, and even in Kolkata (Calcutta as was), where the criminal gang that's behind this is based, the police might take notice. Nor have I seen any evidence that they steal details such as bank information. You got scammed for a couple of hundred pounds, but if you realised what had happened, you could get the payment reversed. But something has changed: they seem to have started trying to install software. That takes the scam into new territory altogether, because it means that the scammers are now changing the setup of the computer, and while it's still fraud, it also now strays into fields such as the Computer Misuse Act. The confirmation came in an email a few days ago from a man called Steven, based in Manchester, who was called from a company claiming to be "Windows Service Centre" based in East London (on the phone number 020 3318 3026). "She advised that there were numerous error reports that had come through and that my computer was badly affected and running slow (which sounded true)," says Graham Steven. "I was taken through various screens, which induicated numerous warnings and alerts and it was suggested that as my computer care warranties had expired, I should purchase a new one." Being wary, he called them back in case the phone number was fake. But of course the phone number worked: it's a VOIP line back to India. The cost? �199 - which included the installation of Kaspersky Antivirus. With tax, it came to �240. The scammers were careful, though: they used his card details to make the purchase. It was only afterwards that Steven realised his mistake: "I received an Invoice from "SWREG" [Digital River, a download service in the US] for the service and thought nothing of it, until I checked the possible frauds page that you have. I phoned my credit card company, who confirmed that the transaction had gone through, so I immediately cancelled my card. A friend came round and uninstalled all of the Kaspersky and other applications. I do not know for sure that this is a scam, but strongly suspect that I have been conned." Unfortunately it is a scam, and he has been conned. But he may be able to get the money back. If you, or someone you know, falls victim to this scam, then do three things: 1) contact your card issuer and get the transaction reversed 2) report what happened to Action Fraud, the UK's national fraud reporting centre. It has its own page on Microsoft-related scams, as does Microsoft itself. 3) contact the police so you can get a crime number. If you do a search on the phone number given, you find that it appears on a number of sites - including one calling itself YTech Solutions (ytechltd.com), which looks like another standard template for the scam; the sites are set up by the dozen, and as soon as police get one taken down, six more are ready to spring up - with similar misspellings, "privacy policies" and so on. YTechltd hides its ownership details behind a domain proxy - hardly what you'd expect from a reputable company. People are still getting these calls - often multiple times. The clue though that there is a single gang behind all this - rather than multiple people trying their luck - comes from the fact that I've never come across anyone who has been phoned twice once they've taken out this "support". That suggests that they are keeping some sort of database - but the other question is, where do they get their database of people to call? Updated: Corrected name - victim's name is Steven, not Graham. Added third thing to do - contact police. Misspellings corrected. http://thenextweb.com/microsoft/2012/10/03/ftc-launches-international-crack-down-on-tech-support-scams-that-have-tricked-tens-of-thousands/ FTC shuts down tech support scams from India that charged $49-$450 to remove nonexistent malware HN Emil Protalinski 3 October '12, 05:56pm Follow Have you ever got a call from an individual claiming to be from Microsoft, a security company, or a general tech support company who insists you have a virus? Here�s the typical scenario: a telemarketer masquerades as major computer company, cons you into believing your computer is infected with malware, and then charges you hundreds of dollars to remotely access and �fix� the �problem.� We have some good news: these individuals may finally be brought to justice for their scamming, courtesy of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The commission yesterday finally ended its first massive scareware case, after four years of fighting individuals who tricked 1 million users into thinking their PCs had malware. That was just a warm up. The FTC today announced a major international crackdown on fake call centers. At the FTC�s request, a US judge in the Southern District of New York ordered the halt of six alleged tech support scams pending further hearings, and has frozen the assets of the companies, which operated mainly from India. The commission is targeting 14 corporate defendants and 17 individual defendants in six legal filings against Pecon Software, Finmaestros, Zeal IT Solutions, Virtual PC Solutions, Lakshmi Infosoul Services, and PCCare247. They were all charged with violating the FTC Act, which bars unfair and deceptive commercial practices, the Telemarketing Sales Rule, and with illegally calling numbers on the Do Not Call Registry. The FTC charged that the operations target English-speaking consumers Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK, and the US. Five of the six firms used telemarketing �boiler rooms� to call consumers while the sixth lured victims by placing ads on Google which appeared when they searched for their computer company�s tech support phone number. After getting the consumers on the phone, the telemarketers allegedly claimed they were affiliated with legitimate companies, including Dell, Microsoft, McAfee, and Norton (of Symantec). They told consumers malware had been detected on their computers and convinced them it posed an imminent threat. The scammers then offered to remove the malware for fees ranging from $49 to $450. When consumers agreed to pay, the telemarketers directed them to a website to enter a code or download a software program that allowed the scammers remotely access to the consumers� computers and then further trick them into believing they had �removed� the nonexistent malware. The FTC says tens of thousands of consumers were fooled in this way. FTC papers filed with the court alleged that the scammers hoped to avoid getting caught by using virtual offices that were actually just mail-forwarding facilities, as well as by using 80 different domain names and 130 different phone numbers. As mentioned, this was an international operation. The FTC received legal help from the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), the United Kingdom�s Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), as well as investigative assistance it from Microsoft and other unnamed computer companies. �The FTC has been aggressive � and successful � in its pursuit of tech support scams,� FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz said in a statement. �And the tech support scam artists we are talking about today have taken scareware to a whole other level of virtual mayhem.� Image credit: Carlos Chavez http://www.reversedatablog.com/indian-microsoft-telemarketing-scam/105/ Indian �Microsoft� Telemarketing Scam Posted on March 18, 2011 by Reverse James One of the things we do at Reverse Australia is to allow consumers to post comments and complaints about calls they receive. As soon as this feature was added, we started to receive a lot of complaints about so called �Windows Technical Support� teams that are calling, trying to gain access to peoples computers remotely, and then requesting up to $400 to �fix� the problems. Sadly, for the not-so tech savvy people out there, this scam can seem legitimate, and they hand over their credit card to have the problem resolved. Due to the permission given by the scammed, it is also difficult to prosecute, not to mention the scam is being carried out from India. One of the common scam numbers we have reported is (02) 5718 8083 however, today we received this (clearly) fake comment: I just receive a call from Ryan Astle and advising that he is from the Technical Support Provider Team for the Windows Operating System.He then ask me that am i facing some problems on my computer? Then I tell you that yes i am facing some problems on my computer. After Rayan Astle help me and solve my computers problems. After solving, my computer is very fine and good running as well as new computer. Rayan is a good person for help of your computer problem solve. Any body dont talk rayan astle is a scam. Rayan astle is not a scam. His team is not a scam. This is a good team technical support provider of windows operating system.Right now,I am very satisfied for your help on my computer. Thanks Rayan. I am very very happy. I love you to. Thanks & regards. Your Friend � Sheela. The scammer/commenter posted from an Indian IP (110.172.52.162). There are plenty of videos people have recorded about this scam, here is one we found. Here are the current spam numbers we have received complaints about: (03) 8807 0958 (08) 7200 0365 (02) 9191 6553 (02) 8014 7449 (02) 9037 2483 (02) 8014 7593 (02) 5411 2194 (08) 7200 1644 (02) 8006 2085 (03) 9988 6362 (03) 9018 2431 (03) 9016 3432 (02) 8003 5916 (02) 8005 1832 (02) 8003 5397 Thankfully our service has been able to save the occasional Aussie from making the mistake of being fooled by these scammers. Evelyn Had a call from a man with an Indian accent from a company that was a partner of Microsoft apparently. He told me to go to my Event Viewer on my Windows computer, and showed me there were Errors. But at this time, my phone started s******g up and he told me to ring this number instead, which I�m definitely not ringing after reading the complaint above. Update: 2011/05/21 We�ve had an Indian attempt to justify his actions in our blog comments. His post came from [email protected] IP 115.241.108.42. The IP is located in Mumbai, India. This guy seems to honestly believe he is doing people a service by scamming them� I UNDERSTAND telemarketers calls up and says Blah Blah thing to get access of the Computer by showing Eventvwr and etc. But At the end of the day , Eventvwr does show Errors generated by Windows. Not only that , Customers are always happy when they see that their PC is running much More Faster than Before. I DO understand there are few companies who are into SCAM but there are also few who do their work very genuinely and Honestly. Update: 2011/06/25 Received this scam comment, also from an Indian IP (223.29.197.211) regarding the phone (02) 8005 1494 I am glad with my supportable company named techsupportkol because i don�t have to worry about my computer. They providing services to my 2 computer evry 20 or 30 day. Thanks to techsupportkol Update: 2011/07/27 Received this scam comment, another Indian IP (203.171.241.92) on the phone number (02) 8006 0878. It�s hard to believe they are still going strong. its a nice company i thought in the begining that it is also the same as like the other scam companies but no�.its really microsoft certified��their microsoft registration no. is ms20875512 Update: 2011/08/01 Received yet another scam comment from an Indian from IP (59.162.178.186) in regards to (02) 8005 0456. nothing wil happen with your card details. paypal is a secured site. dont worry http://news.softpedia.com/news/Cold-Call-Tech-Support-Scams-Increasingly-Common-150170.shtml August 2nd, 2010, 09:42 GMT � By Lucian Constantin Cold Call Tech Support Scams Increasingly Common Scammers use cold tech support calls to push scareware - Scammers use cold tech support calls to push scareware Security researchers are concerned about the increasing number of scams that involve people receiving phone calls from scammers, who impersonate tech support specialists. The rogue callers claim that virus infections were detected on the computers of their targets and try to get them to install scareware. The practice of contacting someone over the phone without any notification in advance and presenting them with some sort of offer is referred to as cold calling. The method has been long used by sale representatives and is now regulated in many countries, via �Do Not Call� lists. Unfortunately, such opt-out mechanisms are not honored by cyber criminals, who apparently have adopted the practice to trick computer users into infecting themselves with malware. According to David Harley, a senior research fellow at antivirus vendor ESET, more and more reports of such rogue phones calls are coming in from people in the UK and Europe. The scams generally start with the caller posing as a technical support engineer certified by a well known company like Microsoft or Cisco. Typically they claim that the phone call is in response to reports sent out automatically by the user's computer, which is infected with malware. One method regularly used to convince the target that there is something wrong with their computer is to get them to open the Windows Event Viewer. This operating system component is likely to list various warnings about errors generated by applications and services. These errors aren't necessarily critical or require any kind of action, but non-technical users are obviously not aware of that. The rogue tech support specialists offer to install what they claim are better antivirus programs. To add credibility to their story, they often cite the names of reputable security vendors the victims might have heard of. However, the products they tout are actually rogue applications, which display fake security alerts in order to convince users to pay for useless licenses. Unfortunately, such scams might only be the beginning. "One of the ideas around at the moment is that ISPs might (or even should) regulate customers whose systems are compromised by malware such as bots by not allowing them to connect until those systems are cleaned. [�] I have a horrible feeling that we might start to see support scammers claiming to be working for or affiliated with ISPs: the threat of disconnection would be an effective way of putting pressure on victims," David Harley, warns. You can follow the editor on Twitter @lconstantin http://indiancallcenterscam.blogspot.ca/ Exposing Indian Call Center Scam Saturday, 1 March 2014 New Scam: ICANN certification of Domain Names Last month I listed few domains on a domain selling website hoping a good amount for my domain names. A week later after listing my domains I received a mail from �Mark Frei� who sent an email from this email address [email protected] I was very happy that finally I going to make some money without doing a lot of hard work. Without wasting much time I wrote back to Mark with asking price of $650 and I was stunned when he replied from another email [email protected] Check his reply: $5000 seriously!!! This cannot be true, I said to myself. This guy is definitely going to deceive me because I don�t have that good luck J. So I start probing and tried to find out the real picture and then he forwarded a link of ICANN organization to get domain appraisals. I heard about ICANN. It�s a (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) non profit organization that manage IP address and DNS system. I opened that link and when I saw the page I can hear the bell �Dude you are about to be scam� J Then to confirm I searched on google and opened real site of ICANN which is ICANN.org and on this website it�s clearly written that they are a non-profit organization. The URL http://certificate.icann.org that was sent to me was cleverly chosen to pretend that its ICANN and they charge people for domain appraisals which is NOT true. There is nothing like �domain appraisals� or ICANN certificate in ICANN. So spread the word and save people from being scammed. Thanks Thursday, 4 October 2012 Finally Americans did it...!!! Hey Guys ! After such a long time there is a good news for America, Canada, Britain, Australia and New Zealand. Just read this news from Yahoo..!!! US blocks online fraud schemes linked to India WASHINGTON (AFP) - US officials said Wednesday they shut down a series of so-called tech support scams, mostly operating from India, which duped consumers into paying to clean their computers of bogus virus infections. The Federal Trade Commission said a US judge has ordered a halt to six "scareware" operations and has frozen their assets following an investigation in cooperation with Canada, Britain, Australia and New Zealand. FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz said the schemes involved calls to consumers in English-speaking countries from call centers in India, informing consumers of bogus infections. The groups also used online ads which informed computer users of the infections, and then sold "fixes" at prices ranging from $49 to $450. "In these outrageous and disturbing cons you get a call from someone pretending to be from a major computer company who dupes you into thinking you have a virus on your computer," Leibowitz told a news conference, which also played an audio tape of one of the calls. "At one level, it's like a bad Bollywood movie, but at another level it's a ripoff of consumers." The FTC six firms with deceptive commercial practices and other violations and asked the court to permanently halt the scams and order restitution for consumers. The FTC cases targeted 14 corporate defendants and 17 individuals in six separate legal filings. The companies included Pecon Software Ltd., Finmaestros LLC, Zeal IT Solutions Pvt. Ltd., Virtual PC Solutions, Lakshmi Infosoul Services Pvt. Ltd., and PCCare247, Inc. Canada's top telecom regulatory official, Andrea Rosen of the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission, said two related enforcement actions were filed in Canada. Leibowitz said the FTC was sending a delegation to India to help work with authorities in such cases. http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/12/how-windows-tech-support-scammers-walked-right-into-a-trap-set-by-the-feds/ How Windows tech support scammers walked right into a trap set by the feds Sometimes scammers are just as likely to fall for a good con as anyone else. by Jon Brodkin - Dec 5 2012, 9:00pm EDT Lawsuits Regulation 116 Aurich Lawson Three weeks ago, Jack Friedman got a call from a man with an Indian accent claiming to be from the Windows technical team at Microsoft. Friedman, a Florida resident who is my friend Elliot's grandfather, was told by "Nathan James" from Windows that he needed to renew his software protection license to keep his computer running smoothly. "He said I had a problem with my Microsoft system," Friedman told me. "He said they had a deal for $99, they would straighten out my computer and it will be like brand new." Friedman's three-year-old Windows Vista computer was running a bit slow, as many PCs do. Friedman is often suspicious of unsolicited calls, but after talking with Nathan on the phone and exchanging e-mails, he says, "I figured he was a legitimate guy." Friedman handed over his Capital One credit card number, and the "technician" used remote PC support software to root around his computer for a while, supposedly fixing whatever was wrong with it. "I could see my arrow going all over the place and clicking different things on my computer," Friedman said. But that $99 Capital One credit card charge turned into a $495 wire transfer. Then Bank of America's fraud department called Friedman, and said, "somebody is trying to get into your account." Whoever it was had entered the wrong password multiple times, and as a precaution Friedman's checking account was shut down. Capital One restored his lost $495, but the hassles didn't end there. Because of the action Bank of America took, Friedman's checks started bouncing. He's had to change passwords on all his accounts, get new credit cards, and pay a real computer technician $75 to clean out all the junk installed by the scammer. Friedman is one of thousands of people hoodwinked by this Windows tech support scam, which authorities say has bilked unwitting PC owners out of tens of millions of dollars. Friedman's story shows that the scam is alive and well even though the Federal Trade Commission shut down a bunch of the companies allegedly doing the scamming, as we reported in early October. The FTC filed six lawsuits against more than 30 defendants, a number of whom are in settlement talks with the FTC to end litigation. Those lawsuits show that the Windows tech support scammers are often just as likely to fall for a good con as anyone else. To catch a thief: One phone call is all it takes Enlarge / FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz at a Washington, DC press conference on the support scams. FTC The Windows tech support scammers all follow the same general script. There are nuances and differences, but the process of convincing people who answer the phone that their PCs are riddled with viruses never changes too much. You might think that if you spent your whole day calling people on the phone to scam them, if your paycheck depended upon fooling the gullible, that you'd be pretty good at detecting a scam yourself. But ultimately, the people doing the scamming aren't likely to be the masterminds. They're just the work-a-day drones doing their employer's bidding�perfect targets for the undercover investigators at the FTC. When the FTC announced its crackdown on the tech support scammers, the agency played a recorded undercover call but otherwise didn't spend much time talking about how they tracked the defendants down in the first place. Court documents the FTC subsequently sent our way show that it was rather easy. Or, more precisely, once the difficult groundwork of tracking down the scammers had been laid, the scammers walked right into the FTC�s trap, as gullible and helpless as the victims whose bank accounts they raided. Declarations and transcripts FTC agents filed in US District Court in Southern New York show just how the operations went down. These documents were filed along with the initial complaints, but for whatever reason they did not make it onto the Public Access to Court Electronics Records (PACER) system. �Did you just call me?� In a typical Windows tech support scam, the scammer calls up a random person, informing them that their computer has been hijacked by viruses and that the scammer knows this because as a member of the Windows technical support team they can track any computer connected to the Internet. Next, the scammer directs the victim to look at the Windows Event Viewer, a standard part of the Windows operating system that displays mostly harmless error logs. From there, the scammer convinces the victim that these error logs are signs of serious infections and that they need to pay some cash to make the infections go away. They couldn't even verify whether they had previously called the number used by the undercover FTC agent. We previously regaled you with the tales of angry and creative citizens of the Internet who turned the tables on the scammers by performing elaborate trolls, and also of Ars editor Nate Anderson�s experience playing along with a scam call in order to document what happened. But that requires waiting for one of the calls to come. What if it doesn�t? The FTC�s strategy of gathering evidence involved having trained agents go undercover as helpless consumers. No surprise there. But instead of waiting for a call, the FTC�s investigators called up the scammers themselves, using undercover identities not associated to the FTC. "On or about February 14, 2012, when I dialed (888) 408-6651, a representative answered, �Thank you for calling tech support. My name is Victor. How may I help you?� I said that I had a received a call, the caller had said something about my computer and Microsoft, and that I wanted to know what this was about." So begins one of the meaty parts of a declaration by FTC investigator Sheryl Novick, who conducted the stings along with FTC paralegal specialist Jennifer Rodden. Novick hadn't received any call�she just called one of the numbers that appeared in numerous consumer complaints. Novick's statement comes from a case against Zeal IT Solutions, but most of the stings went down the same way. Novick's declaration continues: Victor said they were a tech support company, providing service mainly to Windows users. He told me the name of the company was "Support One Care" and later said they were located in the Eastern part of India. After taking my information, Victor explained that I got a call because they were doing a check-up call for the computer. He asked if my computer was facing any problems but I told him I wasn't sure. He said he was with the technical department and that he'd have to connect me with the registration department and they would call me back. He said I could view their website at �www.supportonecare.com� to see the details of the services they provide. We hung up because he said he would call me from his number to show me the computer's infections. But he called me back shortly after to tell me someone else would be calling me soon. I received a call back that same day from someone who identified himself as Robin Wilson from the computer technical department of Support One Care. He said they were calling me "because from the past two months, whenever the Windows user have been going online, at that point of time, some malicious infections are automatically getting downloaded... 90 percent of the Windows user have these malicious infections in their hard drive." He said they were calling to make me aware of the infections. And the trap was sprung. Although the scammers typically tried to hide their identities and locations by using voice over Internet protocols, they didn't do much else to protect themselves. Windows tech support cold callers have told some victims they have a massive database notifying them each time a computer connected to the Internet is infected. In reality, they're not so omniscient. They couldn't even verify (or just didn't bother to verify) whether they had previously called the number used by the undercover FTC agent. The scammers took the FTC agent's statements at face value and played along more than enough to get shut down and hauled into court. In addition to Zeal IT Solutions, the stings targeted operations going by the names of Pecon Software Ltd., Finmaestros LLC, Virtual PC Solutions, Lakshmi Infosoul Services Pvt. Ltd., and PCCare247, Inc. All six fell for roughly the same ploy. In one case, the FTC duped the tech scammers by saying they had found their number by searching Google for Norton Security. (Scammers sometimes placed search ads in the name of well-known security companies, instead of just cold-calling victims.) In the other five cases, the FTC called up a number that was known to be tied to the scammer and pretended to be returning a call received from that number. But a lot of legwork had to be done to track the scammers and prepare for the undercover calls. Doing the research It started, not surprisingly, by reviewing complaints flooding into the FTC from consumers. In Rodden's declaration about her investigation into Finmaestros, she noted the company and related defendants were the subject of more than 300 complaints between November 2010 and August 2012. These turned up several phone numbers and e-mail addresses alleged scammers used to communicate with victims. In talking to victims, she found that the scammers went by names like "Software ID Maintenance," "Department of Data Solutions," "24/7 PC Help," and "24/7 Creative Solutions." Rodden continued her research by searching online complaint forums like Ripoff Report, Complaints Board, and Who Calls Me, and reviewed various warnings made to consumers. The Zeal IT Solutions website. In Novick's declaration regarding Zeal IT Solutions, she says her investigation focused on four goals: "(1) identifying those responsible for the scheme; (2) capturing websites and Whois data; (3) allowing telemarketers to "remote" in to a computer not directly associated with the FTC and preserving the content of these calls; and (4) analyzing data, including telephone numbers used in the scheme, and financial information obtained via civil investigative demands." The FTC sent requests ("Civil Investigative Demands") to Google to get information on e-mail accounts listed in the Whois registration records for domain names used by the defendants. This helped identify Zeal IT Solutions as the company behind the scheme. The FTC further sent information requests to LogMeIn, the popular tool for remote PC access and diagnostics, which was used by Zeal to access victims' computers. It turned out Zeal had a LogMeIn account registered at an address in Calcutta, India, that was associated with its websites such as Zealitsolutions.com and Supportonecare.com. After preparing her computer and an appropriate recording setup, she called Zeal and talked to 'Victor" and then "Robin Wilson" from "Support One Care," allowing the technician to remote into her computer. Novick purchased a one-year support subscription for $139, declining the $399 three-year package. Although the "support" company was located in India, call records showed the number as coming from California. An e-mail invoice for the $139 charge listed the same address in Calcutta, India that the FTC had identified. Victor apparently revealed he was calling from India over the phone, but the typical course of action for scammers is to pretend they're calling from the US. Ultimately, the FTC identified 80 domain names and 130 phone numbers used by the alleged scammers. The six court cases name a total of 14 corporate defendants and 17 individual defendants. Summonses were sent to defendants, injunctions issued to shut down business operations and compel disclosure of financial records. Zeal hasn't responded. But the FTC is closing in on settlements with defendants in several of the other cases. What's happening today �All my checks have been bouncing. It's been a hectic two weeks.� The court cases against the alleged tech scammers are proceeding, with some close to being resolved. In other cases, the defendants have been missing in action. In the case involving Virtual PC Solutions, defendant Mikael Marczak has provided financial documents to the FTC and is "engaged in negotiations in an effort to resolve this action," according to a summary of the cases filed in court by the FTC on Nov. 20. Initial settlement talks are also being held in the cases against Pecon Software and Lakshmi Infosoul Services, with the FTC "waiting for documents from the Defendants that will aid in settlement negotiations." Settlement talks are also ongoing in the case against Finmaestros et al, but the FTC said it's not aware of any attorney representing five out of the seven defendants in that one. The FTC has not been able to make contact with the defendants in the case against Zeal IT Solutions. In the case against PCCare247, the court issued a preliminary injunction on Nov. 16 to freeze their assets, shut down websites, force them to provide financial statements, and generally prevent them from doing anything illegal. "The court set several status dates by which the Defendants are supposed to turn over documents as required under the TRO/PI [temporary restraining order/preliminary injunction] and set a status conference date of January 4, 2013," the FTC's summary states. Attorney Joel Dichter, who is representing defendants in the Pecon, Lakshmi, and Finmaestros cases, told us that "settlement discussions are confidential," and that he can't offer any comment "so as not to interfere with the discussions." Based on the FTC's usual practices, money collected from defendants through settlements or litigation could very well be used to refund victims. ...and the calls still come Unfortunately, those tech support scams are still out there, as Friedman knows all too well. "All my checks have been bouncing. It's been a hectic two weeks," Friedman said last week. One curiosity is that Friedman, even after changing his password, is receiving spam e-mails with suspicious links from multiple people in his address book, even though those peoples' accounts were apparently not hacked. It seems plausible that this was a result of allowing remote access into his computer, but we can't say for sure. Like many people who fall for the scam, Friedman felt something wasn't quite right even as it was happening. "I felt uncomfortable about the whole thing," he said. But it all seemed legitimate enough for him to temporarily let down his guard and give up his credit card number and remote access to his computer. Most people want their computer to work a little bit better, so if someone offers help, it might just be accepted. "I just know I turn on the computer, I do what I have to do and I don't go further than that," he said. https://duckduckgo.com/?q=india+cold+calling+microsoft+tech+support+scams+ If you want to get a good more proof on this scam just watch the videos on you tube . https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Microsoft+support+scams+ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9K1Q0IzjL6w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFvgwGeTOR0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aS2wnKq8HvI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VE55R7_0E-k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZB-biOKQqA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TU6WGNCUjfw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6jBkpCYC18 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFKz9Gl4iDU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpBKUk6t5aQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exOek9LAwuU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oio_GgNDam4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UE_Q1pprEg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOQcpVIUPzc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDJWixw4TCI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3P6uv8Fy3ik https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s60jLxInYb4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9uTTXA-5dE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjniKabozak https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6d8R7fMie0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwR59oPFnYQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-Kme88futo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxxmgJdAApk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUdEiEkpqrw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zQWd2b_Qms https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyUbXJfFc0k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xf2d0nBtz_U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_DDsP_luqM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BG6FLsN0A4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHgbtuPeW6I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65QpoqY98Ys https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjKjyMKj3n4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3j4pGJZV4jE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rn5sBDwmZ5s Everyone I have given you all the proof and evidence you need on here to shut them down and to finally get rid of them for good . They are wasting our time by harassing us and taking us away from what we have for our lives . I know people who have been stuck on the phone with these idiots for more than 1 hour or more . They target people no matter what their ages are by phoning them up . Caller Center.com I have found more phone numbers they are using in the process to report to you they are within this comment or complaint . Its for us all to band together and take down these India cold call scams no matter where we live in the world its time to unite and take them down and out for good . Its been going on for far to long since it was back in the 90's it all started and never stopped with them doing this to us all . Now if your with me keep this one going with reply's after I have this posted so we all can go a day or night without hearing their accents over the phone .

Called my cell 9:00 am Saturday morning. I did but take the call. Annoying!

The answering machine comes on and there's no message. Just tired of geting unwanted calls from people who I don't know or do business with.

Also just received a text with invitation to join a crypto WhatsApp group. Feels fishy

fake police charity

It states on that greeting that it takes up to 72 hours to be removed from the list.

Keeps calling all day never really leaves a voicemail besides onetime they did not realize they was leaving a voicemail. They was talking to someone else cussing and laughing at whatever they was doing.

yes, that is the way it was spelled. A Middle Eastern Man, was going to give me free solar panels..enuff said..

Calls alllll the time ... would like to find out where she is .

Call received from 703-936-4027, auto blocked by phone company. Recording: "Hello, this is Renee. Please give me a call back at your earliest convenience at 301-377-8889. Thank you." Call received on a Sunday. No context. Absolutely red flags for scam. Block, block, block.

LYING ABOUT HER INFORMATION

They have been asked to not call.

when i answered the phone i got neither a recording nor a person so i was unable to do anything to stop the calls which are a daily event.

MAA CHUDA MAA CHUDA MAA CHUDA

Called several times. Never said anything. No person and no recording on the other line, just some weird beeping noise